/ ˈkænvəs; NAmE / noun
1.
[ U ] a strong heavy rough material used for making tents, sails, etc. and by artists for painting on
2.
[ C ] a piece of canvas used for painting on; a painting done on a piece of canvas, using oil paints :
a sale of the artist's early canvases
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IDIOMS
- under canvas
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old Northern French canevas , based on Latin cannabis hemp, from Greek .